Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Festival - 4
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With Bell as the final addition, all the participants needed for the match had been decided, so everyone took their positions.
Within the designated match area, separated by a considerable distance at opposite ends, Raymond and Tiana faced each other.
Behind each swordsman stood their respective charges.
"This isn't quite the spectacle I had in mind, but a match is a match. I can't go easy on you."
"Even with wooden swords, you need to hold back."
"I know that much!"
I could understand why Raymond had adopted these rules.
Normally, participants in a match could swing their swords freely with real blades, but now the target was the opponent's charge, so caution was required.
Thanks to that, the match wouldn't flow in an easily predictable direction.
"More importantly, it seems you ignored my warning to go all out?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Your attire is splendid and flawless to the eye. But in a place meant for wielding swordsmanship, can you move as you wish...?"
Come to think of it, Tiana's outfit was different from when we'd bumped into each other on the street.
She was wearing something you'd typically see in the training grounds.
"Did you change clothes in the meantime? For the match?"
"You're stating the obvious."
As she said, my current attire wasn't suited for sparring.
I had no choice but to move more sluggishly than usual.
It was my mistake for not anticipating that Tiana would prepare this thoroughly.
"Alright, let's get started!"
Raymond's voice spread to the spectators.
"Now! Both fighters, exchange greetings!"
"We have to do this too?"
"Etiquette is the most important part of any match."
I lightly bowed my head.
Tiana bowed toward me as well.
"Look at the white line drawn on the ground. That's the match area. If anyone steps outside this line, it's an out-of-bounds loss. Simple, right?"
Move within this area, attack the opponent's charge, and win.
Protect Ellie from the opponent's attacks while watching for an opening to target Bell.
"Begin!"
The first match.
Start.
"Hah!"
No matter how serious Tiana was about sparring, she couldn't swing at me with the force that would reach Ellie.
The same went for me—I had to aim for Bell.
Even a quick ambush that would normally exploit an opening had to be slowed when targeting the opponent's charge.
I wanted victory, but not at the cost of anyone getting hurt.
It forced even full-power swordsmen to hold back on finishing blows.
The charges had no means to defend themselves.
They could only trust their knight protectors.
Crack!
"Handle it yourself!"
"Ugh, right away like this?"
If Tiana's wooden sword touched Ellie, I lost.
If my wooden sword touched Bell, Tiana lost.
Tiana kicked off the ground and closed the distance in one breath.
As soon as the match began, she charged straight at Ellie, who was hiding behind my back.
The path was a straight line, easily predictable, so her wooden sword clashed with mine.
Judging by the force I felt, she had no intention of hitting Ellie from the start.
She knew I'd react and parry it.
Otherwise, there was no way my shoulder would take such a strong impact.
It was as if protecting Bell was the last thing on her mind—she'd thrown caution to the wind and attacked recklessly.
Thanks to that, Bell was left standing far off, with plenty of space around her.
"Forgot the rules? Bell's wide open now."
"If she looks that appetizing, go grab her! Meanwhile, your charge will get caught first!"
This was clearly different from a one-on-one duel.
There was no need to drain each other's stamina or unleash unavoidable combos.
Whichever charge—Ellie or Bell—got tagged first lost.
She'd gone on the aggressive from the start to deny me any openings.
If I rushed to grab Bell, Ellie would be exposed to Tiana's sword, forcing me to focus on defense.
She'd seized the initiative.
"Doesn't look like you're planning to go for Bell. In that case, keep taking my sword!"
A merciless barrage followed.
Tiana's swordsmanship always opened with these aggressive strikes.
Once she gained momentum, she didn't yield it easily, overwhelming the opponent with defense.
Thanks to sparring with Tiana multiple times, I could barely escape the pressure.
That was why newcomers couldn't even attempt a proper attack before losing to her.
Crack! Thwack!
Parrying a sword aimed at my neck sent the recoil straight to my shoulder.
With Ellie behind me, I had to prioritize blocking over dodging.
Spending a stroke on defense made it hard to find an opening to attack.
In that case, the variation had to start from Ellie's side, not mine.
"Ellie!"
"Yes! I'll run back─!"
"No! Run to Bell!"
"Huh?"
This wasn't just a contest of skill between swordsmen.
There was no reason for the charges to only retreat.
Ellie froze for a few seconds, not grasping my intent, but after meeting my eyes, she dashed toward Bell.
"Wh-what?!"
"Ellie! Stick to Bell!"
Tiana wouldn't just watch while Ellie ran to Bell.
She'd intercept and attack Ellie.
But the moment Tiana's gaze shifted to Ellie,
Clang!
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Tch!"
I was now free from Tiana's pressure.
So this time, I put pressure on Tiana.
To buy time for Ellie to reach Bell, I tied Tiana's feet down.
As she lunged for Ellie, I thrust the flat of my wooden sword forward.
Tiana hurriedly twisted her wrist to parry.
Thanks to that, I escaped the disadvantageous position.
"Sending your charge into the middle of the battlefield? Have you forgotten the rules?"
"That's rich coming from you, Master. You could've ignored this attack and charged ahead, but you chose to block and get tied down."
"What swordsman takes an incoming strike without a care?!"
By the rules, taking a few hits from wooden swords while barreling toward the target was fine.
The win condition wasn't capturing the swordsman, but swordsmen had their pride regardless of victory or defeat.
"E-Earthbound Spirit, sir!"
Ellie called out to me.
She had already caught up to where Bell was.
This knight duel was, broadly speaking, a battle for position.
The shorter the physical distance between me and Bell compared to Tiana and Ellie, the better.
Reaching the target first led straight to victory.
Tiana had immediately recognized this positional advantage and chosen to charge first.
Exchanging blows skewed toward Ellie's direction gave her better chances to slip past me.
But with Ellie and Bell now together, the tilted balance evened out again.
Thwack!
I unwound my arm, which had been guarding my left ear with my right hand, and swung in one motion.
To me, it came from the left; to Tiana, from the right—an attack targeting the ribs.
At the same time, I stepped sideways.
One step at a time, turning our backs to the charges.
I stubbornly attacked from the same direction.
"Predictable tactic!"
Tiana read it.
She kept trying to maintain a relatively close distance to Ellie and Bell.
Always advantageous for protecting her charge or targeting mine.
Even if she ignored me and went for Ellie, it ensured she wouldn't miss if I reacted late.
Or to make sure I didn't reach Bell first.
Crack!
We fought fiercely to steal advantageous positions from each other.
Attacks were used more to hinder movement than tricky trajectories that were hard to block.
The clacks of hard wooden swords colliding and footsteps shifting echoed repeatedly.
Even amid sharp exchanges, our positions gradually drew closer to Ellie and Bell.
"Bell!"
"Y-yes!"
"Grab Ellie tight with both arms! Keep her from moving!"
"Huh? Grab her? Me?"
It wasn't a full clinch, but Bell did grab Ellie's wrists with both hands.
Ellie could easily shake her off with strength, but instead, she grabbed Bell's collar—perhaps thinking it prevented Bell from moving too.
"Hold on, is that allowed?"
"What's the problem? That's not an 'attack'!"
Referee Raymond didn't intervene.
Apparently, charges acting this way was permitted.
Tiana's plan seemed to be pinning Ellie in place.
Though it effectively pinned Bell too.
Binding both their feet was a prelude to going all-in.
Thud!
Tiana kicked off again and charged.
I reacted one step behind her movement.
My sprint was subtly faster.
It was unclear if I'd reach Bell first or if Tiana would tag Ellie first.
"Can't let you go that easily!"
Even mid-sprint, I swung to disrupt her movement.
Ellie and Bell had reached the boundary line of the match area—no more room to retreat.
Bell holding Ellie and Ellie holding Bell, neither could move elsewhere.
Whoever touched first wins.